Ao no Exorcist

A classic Shounen,what else to say. I think a lot of studios thinks about making anime about son of satan. But then they said "Oh no. It will be too stereotyped" When A-1 pictures said "hm...why not?".And they weren't mistaken. Now we have one of greatest anime of summer 2011. I enjoyed it so much and I hope you will too.

Story 9/10:
+:The story is just masterpiece. As i said, it stereotyped,but it does not affect at fun of watching. You just watch and say "oh Sh**t! That was awesome!"
-:The story little bit slowly accelerates. I mean when you watch 1-2 episodes you think ... "in the next episode he definitely will kick someone's ass!". But in 6-7 story become boring a little bit. Because Rin collect his own team or smt else.
But I completely sure it will be briliant story. We just need to wait...

Art 10/10:
+:I really love how ANE are drawn.It doesn't lose quality at battle scene, how does bleach or smt like that.
-:Nothing to say. Just 10/10

Sound 9/10:
+: Rin's voice actor is Nobuhiko Okamoto. He famous for acting in Bakuman, Bleach, Durarara!!, Shiki, Toaru Majutsu no Index, etc. Of course he great and I totally approve set of voice actors.
-: Opening, ending and soundtrack isn't so cool how it could be

Character 9/10:
+: All the characters are charismatic and hilarious. Especially Rin. He is really character with balls. I definitely love moments when he release his demonic power. It looks amazing. Also in anime we have kinda tsundere, nerd, foolish beauty, badass friend and brother. Yes, I told you it is cliched. But it's doesn't nary irritate.
-: Too many minor characters. Trolls and atc...Why did you do that, men? they don't need to anybody! why you made the whole episode about it?

Enjoyment 10/10:
Nothing to say. I just in love with it since first episode.

Overall 9/10:
If you whant a classic shounen, which will cause you to scream "OH MY GOSH!" and all it conjugate with wonderful art, marvelous sound and damn good fightings so this is anime for you! m/

Ao no Exorcist is a short shounen that has become memorable. That's not the same as saying it's great though. Here's why.

Story (6/10):
Rin and Yukio were raised by a priest, yet are the sons of Satan. Sadly, it turns into more of a school setting- based anime. While there are still some good, fast action scenes, there are too many plot holes as the story goes on. They train to be exorcists in this school, even though they are part demon themselves, so that becomes a large plot device. One of the better ones too. It's OK, nothing spectacular.

Art (8/10):
I love the art. It complements ... the action scenes real well. It can be dark or light depending on the scenario. Well animated and colorful enough to not loose my attention.

Sound (7/10):
Cathy openings and endings. The ost's, though could use some work outside of battle themes. The English dub was not quite as good as it could have been, as it does not fit the character roles all the time.

Characters (8/10):
This has to be the most memorable part of the show. Rin is calm and collected, and only freaks out when a normal person would, unlike most main characters. This is not to say he's not fun, he knows fun more than any stuck up snob in the academy. This is what I do NOT like. Yukio is the most legalistic person on the show. Whenever they argue, I find myself wanting to have Rin beat the living shit out of his brother.

Enjoyment (7/10):
Good popcorn flick. The beginning was great, then slowly turns into a typical shounen that has semi-fulfilled potential, that does show up at times in the series. Once I was finished watching it, and listening to the ending themes over and over, I could move on with it always in mind. Don't rush into it expecting very much and you'll like it.

This review has been edited quite a bit. Ok, first off, this anime does not seem to following the manga closely anymore. Up until ep 13 it was, but after that, who knows where the story will go~

Story 9: The story was so tightly packed into the first three episodes, it felt like I was watching some kind of epic movie. I'll admit the basic plot has been done before, we have all had our share of Son's of Satan, but it still manages to be interesting anyways. Somehow it has that spark which makes it amazingly unique, yet it still ... includes anime cliches at the same time. The good thing about this show is that you'll know if you like the story just from the first episode.

Although this is true about the first few eps, I can't say it is the same for the rest of the show. Ao no Exorcist is still enjoyable, but the action is far less than it was in those eps. The action did pick up like for example in ep 12, but I can't say it's consistent. Read the manga if this bothers you~

Art 10: The art is perfect for me. Honestly though, it's a matter of opinion. I don't like my characters too bishounen or too muscular. The characters are drawn, for the most part, in between the two (leaning on the bishie side), so I love it.

Sound 10: Sound I love the sound as well. There was appropriate music in the appropriate scenes that's all I can say. When the tragic moments occurred, really sad music played. When they were running/fighting against demons, it was more upbeat. It was well done in my opinion~

Character 10: Characters now this is my favorite out of everything (even though everything is rated the same). Rin, the main character, is not too whiny nor really bad ass. He acts like a normal 15 year old for the most part, although a bit on the bad side until, of course, he finds out he's a demon. The main enemy on the otherside, Satan, is extremely creepy and scary (imo). But this is good because who wants a sappy enemy? At least you know that he won't be one of those villains that switch sides. If you like your main characters not too over the top and your villains totally villainous, this is your show.

Enjoyment 10: I REALLY enjoyed this show. I've been pretty much obsessing over it so much the past few days it's sad haha. Maybe you'll end up the same way, but that won't happen unless you give it a try. Demons and exorcists fighting, that's the basic point, although that's definitely NOT the entire story.

Overall 10: Overall, I love this show. Hopefully it can continue being this good in the future. -edit- I'll admit it does get slow eps 4-8, but as I have read the manga, believe me there is action to come.

Let it stand that I have not given the manga any read whatsoever so I'm not sure of any kind of discrepancies, but I would have to say that from my experience with manga|anime comparison in general, I think A-1 Pictures has done an outstanding and top-notch job with the anime adaptation of Ao no Exorcist. To note, I have given every criteria of this review a 10 except for the story, which I granted a 9. Normally, the rating of a 10 seems to be very esteemed to me, just because it represents a perfect score. However, myanimelist's linguistic translation of the "10" as ... an "outstanding" compelled me to score it as such because the series simply is o u t s t a n d i n g.

Getting back to what I surfaced upon earlier, A-1 Pictures has created an excellent adaptation. I''m compelled to think that the anime is better than the manga (probably without justification) just because of the elements included that a manga, UNFORTUNATELY, cannot implement such as color, motion, soundtrack, voice acting, etc. etc. all of which are conspicuously done with great detail in the anime.

And here I go, cracking my knuckles, preparing to review each category of rating as I listen to Takeoff by 2PM, the first ED to the series. And whilst typing that, I've decided to start in the order of appearance.

First of all, the story, it has presented itself with expansive potential. It doesn't seem like I'll be able to avoid spoilers now so you have been warned. As the first and second episode have shown, Rin's adventures can extend to the realms of working at the local supermarket, beating the crap out of a pretentious wealthy douchebag, throwing a trident at one of Satan's underlings, being absorbed by the gates of hell by his (literally) Satanic father, or attending True Cross Academy. As a shounen series, I'm particularly happy that it can include the slice of life portion, humor, and in-depth character interaction.

Art. Personally, I am a fan of mangaka Kazue Kato's artstyle. Prior to the first episode's airing, I was up and about ogling at his volume covers in excitement of the series premiere. And then A-1 Pictures comes in and provides us with such excellent animation quality (which truthfully and unfortunately, overshadows their work on Fairy Tall), subsequently whooping my ass upside-down.

Sound. The seiyuus are a part of a great cast is what I have thought since the start. The soundtrack specifically "sounded out" for me in the second episode. During the Gehena Gate opening and the funeral was where the compositions really enhanced the intensity, pushing me off the edge of my seat.

Character. Lovely. Not only are the characters witty, humorous, respectable, but the character relations have already shown heartfelt aspects in the first and second episode. Rin and Yukio's brotherhood made me reminiscent of One Piece's Ace and Luffy, which only made it more emotionally awesome for me. If it's still unclear how cool they are together, just think of them as potential Edward and Alphonse Elric or some such! Episode two nearly had me tearing up at that one, particular part... Also worth noting is that none of the main characters introduced so far are female, a very commendable achievement for Kazue Kato not to depend on erotic or sexual elements to keep the story and characters (if you know what I mean) driven.

Enjoyment. 10.
Just recognize.

Meet Rin. Rin is the son of Satan. Rin is training to become a demon exorcist- talk about ironic.
Overall, this anime so far has been extremely entertaining and actually has had some surprises, which makes it more enjoyable.

Story: 10
The storyline in connection with the characters and their motivations actually seems believable. It's not some far-fetched concept with characters that don't do anything at all related to the plot. The way the story of Ao no Exorcist is connected by and through the characters if very realistic and makes the story very enjoyable to watch.

Art: 10
I really like the art style, it has angular ... lines with some soft coloring in contrast with bright colors. It makes it very appeasing to the eyes, lol. Also, the city in which the school resides in is very cool.

Sound: 8
The opening/ending is pretty good, but other than that, the sounds in the anime are just general so far, nothing too fancy but not bad either.

Character: 10
The character of Rin is well developed and he actually sticks to his motivations and personality. His personality supports his actions and vice versa. He wants to become stronger after seeing his father die, and wants to deny his demon self because he wasn't brought up that way, and demons have harmed his family. His slacker attitude fits him well and provides comedic relief.

Yukio actually has surprised me. His character as first is different from what is shown a couple of episodes later. But in fact, his actions in the first episode completely make sense once you know more about Yukio. Most of his reactions completely make sense with his studious, serious personality. It is a nice balance when Yukio and Rin are next to each other since they are so different.

Enjoyment: 10!
It's been a really good 3 episodes. I definitely recommend it. The characters are fun and genuine, and the story is extremely compelling. Plus, there's nothing wrong with watching a teenager burning with blue flames and slaying demons with a katana.

Ao no Exorcist is fun and you should watch it. As for those who are looking for a more in-depth review:

Summary:
In one sentence, Ao no Exorcist is about a rowdy rambunctious teen who not only discovers the existence of "demons", but is actually the son of Satan himself, and decides to attend a school of Exorcism to strengthen himself and learn to control his demonic power.

Story (6):
Extremely predictable and unoriginal. For those who are not afraid to be disappointed in a story they've seen many times in many different places, this anime is still quite bearable. I won't go into detail, but for ... the most part it is reminiscent of Naruto, Bleach, and Hellsing.

Art (8):
Clean, consistent, great color-composition. You won't be disappointed.

Sound (6):
Generic and doesn't leave an impression.

Characters (7):
Tying in with the story rating, the characters and their roles are in essence unoriginal. They are nonetheless fun and have a solidified personality that completes this anime.

All in all, what makes this anime shine is the characters and how they find their roles as they strive to achieve their own personal goals. Watch it, seriously.

I ‘m making a Review just after watching 1 episode.
I first heard of Blue Exorcist (Ao no Exorcist) few weeks ago in the new issue of Shonen Jump issue 5 April 2011. They introduce it as a new series. I thought it looked pretty awesome. The main character looked pretty good. So I start to read a little of it. But yesterday I just finished watching the first episode of Blue Exorcist, and I must say it was pretty awesome. I love it. The story and plot got my hooked.

I liked the sound of the voices. They match the ... characters.

I liked the part when he was working at his new job. That was funny. I enjoyed it. I usually like watching anime when they are completed, because I hate waiting every week for a new episode.

So overall (after watching the first episode) I enjoy watching Blue exorcist and I will be watching this series through the end.

Hey, if your series can't be original, you better make damn sure it's entertaining with a decent story.

STORY: Raising teenagers at a large school to become warrior exorcists that fight the forces of hell and to one day defeat the king of hell and all that's evil, satan? That's right it's time for this year's big shonen anime, Ao no Exorcist (Blue Exorcist in english).
And yes that is the basic gist of the plot of the anime, and of course it's likely that it's never going to end any time soon (The main characters want to defeat satan, so that's a pretty defty job for ... a kid but someone's gotta do it, right?), but at least the anime will end, in about 25 episodes.

Now that I got that out of the way, Ao no Exorcist is the latest big name anime by Aniplex, who also produced other big name titles such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Black Butler, and Durarara.

When it comes right down to the story, I have to say right away, there's nothing original here in the least.

The characters? We've seen them all before.

Their abilities? We've seen those so many more times before too.

The setting? Come on now, it's at a freaking school for crying out loud! That not at all different!

Look, I can waste your time explaining the similarities to other stories that already used these elements all night and day, but it all matters with one (or two) simple questions: does it have a good story and does it have characters to care about?

Story: Yes and no.

Characters: Definitely.

The story is about Rin Okumura, who wants to defeat satan because he killed his foster father and the all time big bad priest exorcist, Fujimoto Shiro, despite Rin being the son of satan himself, and heads off to exorcist school with his brother and gains like minded allys who will inevitably befriend and aid him on his resolution to fight satan.

But in between all of that, there are school filled days of Rin training, developing, and learning what it takes to become an exorcist, and some seemingly filler moments too, and a few things that expand the world of the series (Like familiars, ranks of exorcist, and different abilities among the other exorcists).
As a shonen battle story, you can absolutely do worse, as the story seems to be more competent than other shonens (Especially with the school life elements as it feel substantial to the overall plot), and maintains a constant not too serious yet not too whimsical mood, though when the story demands it, it becomes the appropriate right mood for the situations that get thrown out at the lead characters.
However, as a stand alone story not categorized into genres, it's very unoriginal, and does hardly little to make viewers take it serious, or to separate itself from others (Especially if one goes back to compare it other shonens), or even take any chances to do something unique.

The characters on the other hand are instantly likable.

Rin is a great protagonist and easily sympathetic and a crowd pleaser, and he somewhat turns a trope on it's head; every shonen hero aspires to like their badass fathers (Would I really need to make a reference for this?), but Rin want to kick his father's ass and for 100% justified reasons.
Other characters like Rin's younger brother Yukio and Shiemi Moriyama are also easy to like characters.
There are still plenty of obvious tropes walking around like a tsundere and the rival character that becomes a friend.

Even though in the long run it's not very original, that should not easily scare you away as the series itself is very entertaining and is as fun as all shonen series should strive to be, unless you're very tired of shonen genre at this point, don't waste your time that could've been used to look for other anime to watch.

ANIMATION: Of course, when Aniplex is producing an anime, obviously the visuals are going to be superb (Which most shonen series usually get cheap treatments).
Battles are very well animated, the character designs and artwork are very true to the source material, not much to nit pick at all.

SOUND: The back ground music almost leaves no impression, the theme music isn't nothing worth noting about other than it's what you should except for a shonen anime (Though the ending theme feel really out of place).
The voice acting on the other hand is good, Nobuhiko Okamoto is a good fit for Rin, and Jun Fukuyama is Jun Fukuyama, if you like Jun then... yeah, you like Jun, he voices Rin's brother.

OVERALL:
The Good:
+ Competent shonen story, with better school life elements than other shonen anime.
+ Likable characters with a great main character that topples other similar main characters from other shonen series.
+ Outstanding animation, especially during battles.

The Bad:
- Unoriginal, as in it's pretty much what you literally get if you mash Soul Eater and D.Gray-Man together.
- Story does absolutely nothing to make the anime standout from others from the same genre.
- Tired of shonen? Don't look here.

Hey, it's hard to be original now a days, and if you're not worried by that, then by all means, I recommend Ao no Exorcist for your viewing delight.
As the latest shonen big hit continues to shine, let's all hope it doesn't get overblown and over saturated like the big hits before it (Coughnarutocough).

I will start from the beginning, I opened my MAL, plan to watch list and at last I decided to watch this anime, as if after recommendations looks like this show I might like, and it was also.

Story 7/10- The very beginning, I really liked it, the fact that main hero reaches adolescence, and begin to see what others do not see, after which the life of the main character changes forever, and to overcome or to win his greatest enemy, he must study at a special school, to learn everything you need to win the evil. After that, new friends also appear, humor appears, ... then drama and other unexpected events in his life. The story I liked in overall.

Art 7/10- Could be better and fair, because it looks a little funny, no i'm not saying bad, the main characters and others seem to have been pushed out of some sort of comedy, but the main thing I liked was because it was interesting to watch.

Sound 10/10- At first, I did not understand where I've heard this masterpiece of music and then it reminds me of a bit of bios ost from the guilty crown, later a little attack on titan osts, I'm looking at the internet and it turns out Hiroyuki Sawano he is so masterpiece, and the other sounds were just a hat off.

Character 8/10- Almost all characters are told a bit, except Okumura, Rin and Okumura, Yukio about which I found out only to the end (last episodes) completely everything, and this is also what I like best.

Enjoyment 8/10- Every day I watched by three-four episodes and everything was satisfying me.

Overall 8/10- So.... I look forward to the continuation and bad or good, show in the memories will certainly stay.

This is my first review, but it's one for one heck of an anime. Blue Exorcist has quite a good story, the artwork is so good that calling it first rate would be an insult, the characters are enjoyable and the sound & music was done really nicely. I'm not going to give the details, I can't do that without spoiling stuff, but I really recommend you to give this one a whirl. My only problem with this anime is a very common one- only 3 episodes have aired so far, wich means that there will be endless weeks of looking forward to the next ... episode ;). I give this one a 10 overall and recommend you once again to watch this- you won't be sorry.

*Pure Review (Anime Only)*
A dark, gripping, action enriched adventure from the very beginning...
Despite its often harsh reputation; i found Ao No Exorcist both exhilarating, and although the premise is not completely original - an interesting watch.

The whole show retains an effective sense of scale, and an appropriately dark, suspenseful overriding tone. Its shounen identity becomes clear pretty soon on, and although it follows a formulaic structure, it's well executed. Alike most viewers, i particularly praise the beginning on its intricate and vivid setup; it starts off while fulfilling every criteria... A great starting point in terms of character development and story - that demonstrates the ... show's action-related and emotional capabilities.

After a few episodes of brilliant drama, action and attention to detail, a notable amount of filler does unfortunately come into light. At times i feared that the show may cease to progress as seamlessly as in the beginning, though these were at least temporary setbacks, and overall, the whole story and the development of Rin in particular continued to deliver.

If there's something this show does right, it's the fighting, and although it became a tad repetitive, this was already acknowledged, and the very relevant scenes documenting Rin's growth, came paired with the introduction of more characters, THEIR stories, and extensions to the theory behind the premise.

One recurring theme of Blue Exorcist is discovery - and those who have completed will know the extent of this word's connections. The main thrill, the main kick behind the story comes often in the form of twists, making everything more unpredictable in the short-run, and therefore intensifying the action. Rin's circumstances continue to become more real in time, and this conveys the friction between the forces in the story very well.

Each episode is rather cinematic in the way it congeals action and drama from multiple perspectives, which is great - though it must be said that the minor comedy/innuendo elements just plain interfere with the shows intensity at times.

The characters all have their own bit of development, but alike most other action-based shows, it's not quite comprehensive. In terms of story, i'm sure you don't have to scroll much to gather that it's a cliche, but particularly nearer the start and finish, it's incredibly well presented, and works wonders for illustrating the plot.

With a divided reserve of strength, it's hard to think of something Ao No Exorcist truly excels at, though nothing is too weak either... I guess you could say that to conclude, the whole thing is a touch self limiting in terms of potential.

But...

Ao No Exorcist works!

The interesting premise brings about a refreshing, dark and suspenseful array of attributes that add a lot of great drama and detail. The particularly story-heavy ending was my highlight, as i'm sure you know what i mean when i mention discovery: realization and unpredictability. When this anime gets going, it really does go all out!

So who would i recommend this for? Well, like with Attack on Titan, the show thrives on the opportunity to fuse drama and action - so for action/epic-style and plot twist appreciating viewers in particular,
if the whole religious war theme is something that works for you... You'll really enjoy!

"I'm going to beat the sh*t out of Satan!!" - Rin Okumura.

If there was an award for the most pure shonen of all time, that award would not belong to any of the big names in the business... No, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, and any other series that comprises the collective of instantly recognizable "shonen" can't touch the perfection with which the myriad of shonen tropes were implemented in Blue Exorcist.


Artwork and Animation: 8

As with most A-1 Pictures productions, Blue Exorcist looks very good. The traditional animation, particularly with the signature flames, is very crisp and smooth. There are a few moments where the ... budget wore thin and some fidelity was lost, but overall a good looking series. No terrible 3D, and no overly repetitive scenes- consistent.


Sound and Voice Acting: 8

While the sub sounds rather generic, with the exception of Jun Fukuyama (Lelouch, Code Geass) as Yukio, the dub brings out some of the best of Aniplex. The every-shonen-protag Bryce Papenbrook (Kirito, Eren, Shiro Emiya) stars as Rin, with some definite imitation of Vic Mignogna's Ed Elric- at times I really couldn't tell if Vic had stepped up to the mic (which was a good thing.) Papenbrook's best role, definitely.

Opposite Papenbrook we have the ever great Johnny Yong Bosch as Yukio, Kyle Hebert as Suguro, Wendee Lee as Shura, and the spaztastic Christine Marie Cabanos as Shiemi. Aniplex always puts together a good dub cast, and this is no exception. All around well done.

As far as the soundtrack goes, there's not much to bring to attention. It does its job with tension in exciting moments, and letting the air out in sad ones. The openings and endings are solid tunes, your standard issue J rock, with a little techno for the 2nd ending.


Story: 5

Now, what was that I said about shonen? Oh yeah- how this show took the tvtropes list for the genre and used it as a checklist for this series. The story fares better than the characters, but with one glaring, and impossible to ignore problem: It's incomplete. Right, it's been said before that after episode 16 this show takes a turn for the filler, and this is truth. It deviated from the still-being-written manga to an anime original ending. From our experiences with this... it typically does not end well, right? Blue Exorcist doesn't have a horrible ending- it just has a non-ending. All the struggle through the beginning of the show culminates in a giant "eeeeehhh" at the end where nothing gets resolved. But hey, the big bad was defeated, right? Only for there to be another to crop up in its place and set the story up for a sequel that may never come.

It wouldn't be the first time that this's happened, nor will it be the last, but when it does happen, non endings typically stick- and audiences rarely eat them up. For an engaging start of a timeless Father/Son struggle with a unique setting, and the feeling of growing strength and power through self discovery, the story has a particularly inauspicious ending.


Characters: 4

Protagonist with undiscovered superpowers? Check.
Protagonist with daddy issues? Checkeroo.
Protagonist who gets beaten down with self guilt and lacking the strength to go on until spurred onward by female love interest character? You betcha.
Takes place in a magical high school, with a ragtag gang of friends? Of course.
Headstrong, "must save everyone", will stop at nothing to gain more power to protect their loved ones, it goes on and on. This show gives shonen a living, breathing body.

Other things like "annoying girl that nobody likes who turns into a useful member/saves everyone", "enemy turns into friend after being defeated", and "hidden evil family member" all make themselves known. The "believe in yourself and succeed against impossible odds" trope checks in too, nearly every episode.
While these, on paper, read like "wow, I've seen this in every show already, why's this any different?" The truth is that Blue Exorcist embraces this. It's not pretentious, and it's not pushy or hamfisted in some ideal or moral, it's just taking these tropes and making a popcorn story out of them.

The dynamic between Rin and Yukio is, however, fairly interesting. While not characterized on a basis of say Edward and Alphonse Elric, there's still quite a few good moments, between them, cliche as they may be. The classic "being outdone by the other" and sibling rivalry through Rin and Yukio's disparate personalities arises. While at times it drives them apart, and they have to face their challenges alone- as expected, they manage to work together and do something great.


Enjoyment and Overall: 7

Although I've really ripped on the characters being the embodiment of shonen cliche and the story getting really off track in useless filler territory that leaves nothing resolved, I have to say, I don't hate Blue Exorcist.
I watched Blue Exorcist alongside Neon Genesis Evangelion, and it was an excellent break from the dark and depressing but intricately crafted character drama of NGE. Watching Blue Exorcist was like watching TV, where NGE is more like reading a book. It didn't require any real thought of me to watch, no presence of mind- it was just for fun.

For a lighthearted, shoneny romp through a vibrant and imaginative fantasy world, one can do a lot worse than Blue Exorcist.

I've seen 6 episodes so far and I'm quiet fond of it. When I first glanced at the picture (yes I haven't read the summary) it gave me the "Fairy Tail" impact. So I started watching it without reading the summary XD.

STORY - 10
It already gives you alot of chills of excitement (like doki-doki lol) just by watching the first episode ^^. I was so itchy to know what's gonna happen next so I've read the manga :P (last chapter: 24 at the moment). So I think its really have so much potential its going to be a HUGE disappointment if they're just gonna ... air 12 to 25 episodes. Ao no Exorcist has the same level as the top animes. Yes, I'm talking about Naruto, Bleach, Fairy Tail, Reborn (when it comes to fighting scenes), Code Geass etc if you know what I mean. I'M EXPECTING MORE EPISODES!!!!!!

ART - 10
It really suits their own characteristics! Most of all, the special effects! They are all awesome and I think its better than good-looking guys/gals style.

SOUND - 10
I like the opening theme and just so-so with the ending since it doesn't really matter if its good or not (lol). But the background music surely fits the scenes. It makes you really hooked and carried away haha. Yes, sounds gives you that kind of feeling when watching it if you didn't notice =D.

CHARACTER - 10
I love all the characters most of all Bon (Suguro, Ryuuji)! Why? Because his seriousness makes it funny and it making Rin, Shima (Renzo) and Kamiki (Izumo) mess with him (HAHAHA). They're portraying unique combinations from one person to another that brings out enjoyable atmosphere.

ENJOYMENT - 10
Of course! It's 200% enjoyment (hehe). I've been looking for months to find an awesome anime like the ones I've seen and loved. At last, I found the best anime yet! Despite the fact it just started ( T_T ), I'm sooooooooooooooo crazy about this anime!

OVERALL - 10
I LOVE IT!!!! AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!! But really, if the manga is this slow (like super slow), let's keep it in mind the worst case scenario (*sobs*). So .. I DEMAND THIS SHOW TO BE ONGOING for so long to satisfy its fans. :P Just like the top animes. =D

When i watched first 3 episodes i thought this is gonna be awsome and i really enjoyed it,but 4,5 and 6 are rather disappointing and they're below average.I mean they dont have the impact of first 3 episodes,they re like fillers.Hope it wont continue like that.


To sum it up it may be better than this.

If you haven't taken the time to watch this series then you are missing out. This is one of those underrated series that finds a place in your soul and never leaves. This story is rich with humor, drama, action, and so much more. The rich characters, strong plot, and steady pace make it hard to stop watching. Lessons of comradery and friendship are heavy themes throughout the story, and the bonds formed are done so in good fashion.

From his "awakening" in the beginning of the story Rin is being targeted by the demon world. Some want him dead and some want to bring ... him to his birth father (Satan) so he can fulfill his purpose for being born. Due to a tragedy early on, he finds himself at the True Cross Academy where he begins his exorcist training. Rin is such a strong moral character that it's easy to like him from the start. He's no angel (in fact he's literally half demon), but he seems to always want to do good. Will he succumb to the weight of his demonic powers or overcome them? Will he fall victim to the prejudices of the world around him? I don't want to spoil anything so I'll stop there, but I hope I at least peaked your interest enough for you to give this 25 episode series a try. You won't regret it. It's worth watching over and over again!

Ao no Exorcist is a remarkable anime. It’s a different kind of Shounen where the story matters more than two characters beating each other silly. The way it emphasizes more on building the story is really amazing. I don’t see a lot of Shounen anime so intricately woven as this anime. There are so many elements to this anime that I’ve never seen so perfectly executed before. This may look like another run of the mill action type show at first glance but it’s really something more complex than that.

The anime has two main plot points that the show steadily builds at each episode. The ... first plot point is Rin being the son of Satan. He is trying to become an Exorcist while trying to control his demonic power. It’s not an easy task since he just recently learned of his powers and it’s going to take a while to get used to it. This power will make his life hard though because a lot of people are interested at the son of Satan. There are people out to kill him and people scheming to use him. Rin is more focused on controlling his powers though because he wants to use it for good and to protect his friends as oppose to wreaking havoc with it.

The second plot point is the group of friends Rin has as he tries to become an Exorcist. These are his classmates and comrades as he fights demons from all over. An exorcist cannot fight alone so there was a lot of focus given to the bonds the group forms. They start out as classmates, grow to become rivals and soon become comrades that have each other’s back. A lot of episodes are focused to how the individual characters learn to trust each other and fight for the common good.

These anime only has two plot points but it’s not as simple as that. Under these plot points are sub-plots that are also incorporated to the story. I call them sub plots under the main plot points because they aren’t really as vital to the plot and they only make up parts of the main plot points. They don’t stand alone but rather, adds depth to the main plot points. The story about Rin being a demon is more complicated than it looks.

First, there is a sub plot about his family dynamic. He grew up being protected by his father but the anime soon explored just how much the guy went through to ensure Rin grew up as a happy normal human being. He also has a very complicated relationship with his fraternal twin who has known all along that he was a demon but has taken up their father’s role of protecting Rin. Rin is a stubborn guy though that wants to protect others and not the other way around. As the anime progresses, we soon discover just how much the family sacrifices to make the other person happy.

There is also a sub plot about the inner working of the True Cross Order. There is the principal of True Cross Academy who has taken a liking towards Rin. He thinks of him as a very convenient weapon but the man is very much shrouded in mystery. He seems to love toying with Rin and seeing just how much he can push the guy before he starts pushing back. His intensions aren’t that simple though and the anime soon revealed just how Rin being a demon really fascinates this man. The principal is someone who wants to use Rin but there are also people who just want him dead. There are shady individuals who would go so far to make sure he drops dead and then there are others who would even hurt innocent people to see him dead. Majority of the people in True Cross doesn’t like the fact that the son of Satan is within their group and there was a very interesting power play that commences between the principal and the rest of the Order. This was a fascinating development of the anime because it involves a guy you seriously cannot read up against people far superior than him.

Lastly, there is the typical Shounen aspect of the anime. It’s the subplot about Rin trying to become strong. He faces a lot of adversity because of his demonic powers. There are some episodes that focus on his ties with other demons and there are also episodes focused on trying to control his powers. This wasn’t that heavily focused though but this is where Rin would do different kind of trainings to become strong. Some of them aren’t the conventional kind of training that requires some fighting though so it was pretty intriguing to see Rin try to become a better individual using these very unique kinds of training. I say it’s not heavily focused because there aren’t a lot of episodes where Rin would see progress. The anime had too much stuff to tackle other than the typical Shounen aspects.

These three stories are all bound together to the first main plot point about Rin being the son of Satan. It’s a simple plot point but so heavily detailed and intricately constructed, it’s pretty amazing. The second plot point also share the same kind of complexity.

The characters of the anime are pretty impressive. They all had a pretty decent character development and they all had a nice personality to them. The best part is that each character was given a decent spotlight including the minor characters. Rin is the typical Shounen hero character who charges head on and often shows her inexperience. His determination is strong though even though he lacks proper training. He had a very steady growth in the anime that I find pretty impressive. He starts out as a total hot head with a heart of gold but he soon transform into a very impressive person. I also enjoy this relationship he had with his brother. His brother, Yukio, is good at everything he does and an overachiever than Rin often feels jealous of him. Yukio is born as a human and he looks up to his brother though and he also has a bit of envy towards him. It’s pretty sweet.

Then there is the class of exorcists Rin associates with. I love the interaction between them because it really brightens up the anime and they bring forth the classic Shounen theme of “Friendship”. The characters start out generic like the tsundere, the loud guy, the level headed guy and the airheaded girl but the anime was able to give them adequate time to really grow. Certain conflicts are presented to make these characters rounded and it strengthen the interaction among them. It’s really well done.

There are a lot of antagonists in the anime and they are all pretty impressive. There is the hard to gauge principal who seems to play both sides. One moment he helps the characters then the next you often feel like he is behind the incidents befalling the characters. The best part is that he has never once revealed his cards. He is really just in the grey instead of siding with the good guys. Of course, there is also Satan. He is portrayed pretty nicely in the anime. The super menacing guy that no one can beat with a pretty high level the characters can’t reach. He doesn’t appear much in the anime though because the anime wanted him to be an enigma until the later parts of the anime. There are also the people running the True Cross Order. I won’t spoil much because most of them are introduced at the later parts of the anime but a lot of them are really irritating. They hold power and they run the place so they’re order is absolute even if it harms others. They often just butt in without seeing the whole picture. They’re really nice antagonists but they aren’t really super evil like Satan.

Last but not least the animation was amazing. Some of the fight scenes are fast but they are very organic. It utilizes a lot of camera angles and there are some cool effects added to enhance the scenes. I love the one on one fight among characters because they all had different style and stances that looks really cool. Plus, the animation is so smooth that the battles are really easy to follow. The demon battles are also impressive in their own right. It’s paced well that both the demons and the characters had enough time to strut their stuff. The background is very much involve in these fights because a lot of things are destroyed and flying all over. There also some CG works in some fights scenes. The anime is dominantly normal animated though. This CG are just added to make some things more awesome looking like the gate at the beginning of the anime with some menacing looking faces rippling like water.

This review includes my opinion about the anime and only the anime I haven't read the manga, I just wanted to make this clear.

Ao no Exorcist is an shonen anime, it's pretty popular and that is the main reason I watched it. I didn't regret it but it was not what I thought it was.
I really waiting from it to be more dark and kinda scary but no.

Even though it didn't get any near to my expectations it was fun to watch.

Going to the rating:

STORY: 6
...
Yes, it has demons and exorcists and magic and evil, but it alson have evil mushrooms and insects and stuff like that and I didn't understand why did they exist but nevermind. The story for me is going reallyyyy slow like super slow. You get a really good start, a boring middle and a fair end which is not the real end and you have to read the manga if you want something more or wait for the nevercoming season two.

ART: 7
I have to be honest to myself, the art was good, not something special but good. I really loved the faces Rin made and I really loved the art of the characters but like I said it was not something special.

SOUND: 6

Not something special.

CHARACTER: 8

Okay, I loved them, every single one of them, especially Shiro and Kuro were my favorites. I loved the brothers and everyone. They have a great character development.

ENJOYMENT: 7

I enjoyed watching it. It was a good anime to spend my time with it and that was the reason I watched and enjoyed it. If you love shonen anime that's a good one ;)

OVERALL: 7

A quick and easy review of Ao no Exorcist (Blue Exorcist)-- SPOILER FREE for your enjoyment.

PROS:
+ Interesting story
+ Good comedy factor
+ Beautiful art with bright colors and good use of light/dark contrasts
+ Fantastic voice actors
+ Great in sub or dub
+ Good soundtrack
+ Interesting characters (no one annoyed me!)
... + Quick paced and exciting
+ High overall enjoyment

CONS:
+ Ending seems a little disjointed
+ "Typical" shonen story (if that bothers you)
+ Not much growth/change for supporting characters
+ Some unnecessary characters


Want some more detail? See blow:
STORY:
For people to say this story is cliche is, in my opinion, a bit close minded. Definitely, the idea of a main protagonist who become stronger in order to fight evil and defend those he loves is a nearly ageless story. The key is how writers reinvent that classic story to make it interesting. In the case of Ao no Exorcist this involves a son of Satan, various demons, cool weaponry, a school for exorcists, magic spells, and some awesome powers/abilities. These factors are the keys that make this show interesting!

Some people are put off by the fact that not every episode is moving towards the final climax. And it is true that at some points the show is more episodic than larger story-oriented. I normally DO NOT like episodic show, but for some reason, this one stayed enjoyable to me the whole time. It didn't feel at all repetitive or like it was dragging. It just presents the audience with a lot of great illustrations of the world it is trying to create.

BONUS-- I get tired of 11 year old protagonists saving the world, and was glad to have at least high school aged characters.
Also, I wasn't expecting much comedy from this, and found myself pleasantly surprised by steady humor throughout with some really good laugh out loud moments.

ART:
Great art with very few inconsistencies. Too many shows these days are animated so darkly that you can hardly see details and, on the flip side, many shows are so bright that its like there is no variation in lighting. Ao no Exorcist does a good job utilizing both light and dark frames to create great contrasts, and using a wide spectrum of colors to give the animation depth.

SOUND:
THE VOICE ACTORS-- they are all so great! Really strong casts both in Japanese and English. The original cast is led by Okamoto Nobuhiko (Niizuma Eiji in Bakuman, Nishinoya Yuu in Haikyuu, Usui Takumi in Kaichou wa Maid-Sama) and Fukuyama Jun (Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass, Dr. Shinra Kishitani in Durarara!!, Kazuma in Noragami, Grell in Kuroshitsuji). They also have others you know and love, i.e. Kamiya Hiroshi (Orihara Izaya in Durarara!!, Akashi Seijuurou in Kuroko no Basket, Yato in Noragami, Levi in Shingeki no Kyojin).

The english cast is led by Bryce Papenbrook (Eren Jaeger in Attack on Titan, Kirito in Sword Art Online, Shirou Emiya in Fate/Stay Night: UBW, Masaomi Kida in Durarara!!) and Johnny Young Bosch (Makoto Tachibana in Free!, Izaya Orihara in Durarara!!, Ichigo Kurosaki in Bleach, Yusaku Kitamura in Toradora!).

Point is, you'll love the sub or the dub. Great casts no matter what.

Music is good throughout but nothing amazing. Enjoyed the first OST better than the second, but sound track was fine overall.

CHARACTER:
I am someone who gets easily annoyed by characters. Fortunately, there weren't any characters in Ao no Exorcist that I was dreading being on screen. I really enjoyed them all, even though they may fit into some of the common character tropes. While the leads are well-developed, most of the supporting characters get only minimal background and development. However, for a 25 episode series, I thought the amount of character development was appropriate.

There were a two characters in particular hanging around that I found unnecessary (maybe they play a bigger part in the manga?), but I was disappointed that they weren't ever really fleshed out. These characters were used at times to manipulate the plot in ways that seemed a little cheap.

ENJOYMENT:
Despite some of its faults, I found this show to be very enjoyable. I sped through it, and never found myself bored. It is quick-paced and action packed, and had much more comedy than I was expecting. If you enjoy shonen, battles, magic, or demons (with some great comedy and a fun school-setting), give it a try!

THIS REVIEW HAS NO SPOILERS!
The reason why I did not place any spoilers for people to really step up their game and try watching Ao no Exorcist! You have to find out the mytery behind these phrases. Why this? Why that? How come?

I’m surprised by the fact that people would label Ao no Exorcist as a generic shounen anime. I couldn’t agree more with that but somehow it suits my taste, I don’t know why. What surprised me the most was the scores they gave here in MAL. Most were practically low or just average. Now let me tell you why I loved Blue ... Exorcist.

Kazue Katou, the original creator of the manga based show exquisitely chose the theme of demons and humans divided in two worlds, Gehenna (realm of demons or hell) and Assiah (earth). These worlds are mirrors of each other but somehow, obviously, Gehenna is the more evil side. The story goes really fast without any filler in the manga, but in the anime… they fabricated some details and events. From the very start, the production staff already added scenes that may or may not be entertaining. I think because they lacked material and information from the manga. Here is a short summary of the events, Rin Okumura is a son of an exorcist and has a twin brother who is seemingly ahead of him when it comes to academics and behavior (best of both worlds kind of guy). He remained to have a normal human life for 15 years but little did he know there is a secret that lurks inside of him, a secret that is crucial for anyone to find out. The show actually has a number of genres in it. You got action, comedy, drama and loads of things that you can find in your average show. I know it may sound normal but I was a bit hesitant to watch it at first but I’m sure you’d like it once you’ve come across the depths of this anime. Usually the first half of the show is a bit okay but I guess the second took all the glory and showed all the action and answers behind each question. Unfortunately, it didn’t go to well. Everything seemed abnormal from the development of the characters to the storyline. It seemed rush and not handled very well. I did enjoy the fillers like the ones in Soul Eater but more importantly we did not watch the anime because of the non existent and non canon episodes made by A–1 Pictures. I guess half of the show became OVA (Obviously Very Apathetic). I wished they’d make a new season because most of the arcs in the manga really kept the story in a more understandable pace. Anyway, if you extremely hate fillers and you can’t bear to watch nonsensical scenes, you can skip episodes 17 – 25 and start reading chapter 14 or 15 of the manga. There are major changes in most of the scenes. But if you’re like me who loves to finish a good show and just start reading the manga from the start, you can actually just watch the whole thing and read the whole thing.

Art is Artstanding! Okay that was so lame. I’m sorry. Well it is the truth. This is probably my first time watching a show that is produced by A-1 Pictures, that or I just couldn’t remember. The music sounds great too. I noticed that they used the traditional piano and electric guitar tunes; moreover, what caught my attention is the godlike chanting in the BGM (background music). The opening and ending songs were dramatic and fantastic to hear. My favorite would be Core Pride by UVERworld. The voice actors did well. I’m surprised that Kaji Yuuki voiced Konekomaru! I mean, WOW! Yukio’s voice sounded more mature which suits him well. On the other hand, Rin’s voice is a bit rebellious and fit for his character.

Characters were just amazing. I know some of them are your typical shounen characters. We have Rin who is a hot headed teenage guy who had a rough past and becomes a hero. Yukio, his brother, on the other hand, is calm at most situations and also has tons of secrets. Shiemi, the moe type of girl who cares for everyone (like a Mary Sue) and guys fawn over her. Kamiki, tsundere girl, absolutely predictable. Shima, the perverted guy. Suguro, cool and mysteriously smart. Konekomaru, also smart and flexible with people. You got every basic thing that you can see in most characters but somehow there are interesting ones like Mephisto who is the most mysterious guy and he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants to. He can control any situation with his brilliant mind with full of schemes. Shura, the badass girl who can dress and express her reactions and can still kick some ass. Let us not forget the addition of animals. What I like about these characters, despite the fact that they portray the most commonly seen traits, I’d say most of them are really helpful. You cannot deny the fact that each and everyone of them have the guts to protect someone they love and they have the most interesting fighting tactics.

There may be unexplainable reasons why I loved Blue Exorcist because somehow my reasons were a bit vague for people to understand. Maybe sometimes we have different tastes in anime and genres. Sometimes we just need to respect each other’s likings. For example, one may prefer watching Code Geass over Naruto or One Piece over Fairy Tail. Some people would go for underrated shows rather than overrated or famous ones. Either way, we all have our own playlists in anime. Going back to this show, I believe you will definitely love it. Go straight to the manga once you finish watching it because every chapter will be worth the wait.

Blue Exorcist is a story revolving around Rin Okumura, the son of Satan, who strives to be good and learn to control his demonic powers in order to protect those he cares about.

First of all, the artwork of this anime is incredible. I liked the diversity in styles. So A+ on that.

The plot of this anime is interesting; however it is filled with holes and cliches. There were so many moments in the anime where something was brought up and I was completely confused as to what they were talking about. Then other times, plots would be touched on and then later they would ... be completely dropped. My largest problem with this anime is the pacing. The beginning is great; well paced and just enough to draw you in. After awhile, the plot slows down and it doesn't have much of any direction (fillers). However, just when there are just a few episodes left and you wonder, where could this possibly go now? it speeds up to the point that you can hardly keep up. Too much information is shoved into the last few episodes which makes the ending unsatisfying.

However, what makes this show enjoyable is the characters. The show focuses on friendship and doing the right thing. It was nice to watch the characters grow closer to each other over the course of each episode. Although some characters were somewhat stereotypical, there was not one that I disliked. This is because of the strong relationships which were formed and the willingness to sacrifice for each other that each character possessed.

So, would I recommend this anime? Yes. Is this the best anime ever? No, not by a long shot. But overall, it's good and worth the watch.